I know, the summer solstice on June 21st marks the official start of summer. My garden however, doesn’t know that distinction. Roses, peonies, and poppies are blooming; I’m harvesting radishes, lettuce, kale and spinach; and the corn, squash and beans are growing like weeds. I’m happy to say that the seedlings I started in March are doing great!

I was fortunate to spend some time in Portland in late April/early May this year and I loved every minute of it. Portland’s population is roughly the same as Denver (~600,000) which no doubt contributed to my feeling very comfortable in this lush ‘city of roses’.

Take good walking shoes and walk whenever possible. Portland’s streets are beautiful. So are Portland’s numerous parks.

Take the light rail. It’s $2.50 to take it from the airport into the city. It’s hard to beat that value. Oh, and your light rail fare also allows you to use the buses and trams. You can get anywhere you need or want to go on public transportation. I’m not big on cycling but Portland is also very bike friendly. So if that’s your thing, bicycling is another great way to get around.

Along those lines, try to stay downtown but know that if you don’t you’ll still be able to get everywhere easily by public transportation.

Drink beer. Drink a lot of different beers. Portland is, after all, known for starting the craft brewing movement in the US. Visit as many breweries and tap houses as time will allow. It’s worth it. My top two picks are Green Dragon for its patio and Cascade Brewing Barrel House for it’s barrel-aged taps. They are conveniently located across the street from one another on the Eastside of the city.

Eat at food carts. You can find every type of cuisine imaginable, cooked fresh out of a cart. Try a few different ones. Portland also makes it easy for you: they’ve converted downtown surface parking lots to permanent food cart locations. Clever.

Don’t just eat at food carts. Portland has an amazing food scene. Every meal I had exceeded my expectations. My top two picks are Pok Pok and Bamboo Sushi. #1: Pok Pok has received quite a bit of critical acclaim for the Northern Thai/Southeast Asian fare served up with fresh, uncompromising, authentic ingredients at both of its locations (it also has a NYC spot). I had a spicy boar collar that was so hot I had tears running down my face, and I loved every bite of the floral, spicy, mutli-textured dish. I would eat there everyday if I lived in Portland. Okay, maybe a couple of times a week. Oh, and it’s in a residential area in a former house. #2: Bamboo Sushi strives to provide the very best sushi, but only from seafood that is sustainably harvested. In fact, sustainability is kind of their ‘thing’. They make sure they know where their fish is coming from and how it’s harvested. Because of this, they’ve had to be creative to fill their menu. We had pickled mackerel that rivaled what we had in Kyoto. I wasn’t expecting to find pickled mackerel on a menu in the US, but there it was and it was amazing. They also had a very respectable okinomiyaki.

Stop to smell the roses. It’s cliché, I know, but Portland is home to the International Rose Test Garden. New cultivars are sent here from around the world to be tested for color, size, shape, disease resistance, etc. They have over 500 different types of roses and boast over 7,000 rose plants. It was a little early when I visited and only a few roses were starting to bloom but there were many other flowers in full bloom. I’m sure by late May/early June it’s an amazing sight!

Visit the Portland Japanese Garden. It’s a short walk from the International Rose Test Garden and well worth your time. It will take you a couple of hours to wander through the 5.5 acres of traditional Japanese Gardens. Be sure your camera’s memory card has plenty of room and don’t miss the extraordinary views of Mt. Hood.

Also visit the slightly less well-known Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown Portland’s Chinatown. It will delight your senses. I went on a sunny day and took the extra time to enjoy a cup of tea in the seating area outside of the tea-house overlooking the lake.

Go to Portland’s Saturday Market. Even if you haven’t watched Portlandia you probably know about Portland’s reputation as both a hippy haven and a hipster paradise. Saturday Market boasts numerous booths of local crafts-people selling their wares, both hipster and hippy. There’s also live music and fresh food. And it’s great for people watching.

It’s obligatory to mention Powell’s Bookstore. And for good reason: this bookstore takes up an entire city block. It offers both new and used books on every topic, but the reason I’m including it on my list is because of its rare book room. I could have spent all day gingerly turning the pages of the historic and rare books beautifully collected and offered for sale in the rare book room. When is the next time you’ll hold a book valued at $10,000?

It’s also obligatory to mention Voodoo Doughnuts. It’s an icon of the city of roses. Word to the wise: take cash, and be prepared to wait in line. Frankly, I was more impressed with the little Caffe Vita coffee shop across the alley from Voodoo, but I’m not big on sweets to begin with.

Take an extra suitcase. Or at least leave room in your carry-on bag. Oregon does not impose sales tax, so stock up! I came back with three new pairs of shoes. They have big name stores like Nordstrom, H&M, etc., but also check out the boutiques on Burnside for some unique finds!

When rain showers invariably hit, duck into a coffee shop. Stumptown Coffee Roasters has locations throughout the city. No need to stop into a Starbucks. And as previously mentioned, Caffe Vita serves up a great cup.

(Pictured: my boar collar served up with mustard greens and sticky rice at Pok Pok.)

We have had a fairly dry May this year. So when the rain finally did come today, my roses (and veggies) were in heaven. They seem to have a different glow from the rain compared to when I water them. This here ‘Dolly Parton’ rose is a prime example!

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Okay, so spring isn’t here quite yet, but I’m starting to think about my spring garden and am doing a little routine maintenance.
Recently, I pruned my roses to approx. 12″ to promote healthy spring growth. A few of the older roses were pruned to 20″ to add height in my summer garden. I left the mulch mounded around the roses though, as we’ll certainly see freezing temperatures for a while.
I also pruned my maple tree’s new growth, nipping any stray branches growing towards the interior to allow for the tree to focus on outward and upward growth.
Early blooming hyacinths and tulips are beginning to break through the ground.
I love the signs that spring is coming!